Author Archives: Ben Hsu
VIDEO: The Honda Collection Hall takes a Prelude, F1 racers, and a ton of bikes out for a spin
It’s been a while since we checked in with the Honda Collection Hall and its regular exercising of vehicles in its massive collection. The museum much pride in the fact that, unlike many automotive galleries out there, everything in its care … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged CB72, cb750, Dream 50, honda, honda collection hall, life, prelude, S500/S600/S800, SuperCub
4 Comments
TUNE UP: Keith Ape’s “Diamonds” Nissan 300ZX
If you liked the appearance of the FC Mazda RX-7 in The Weeknd’s “Party Monster” video that debuted last week, here’s another one just like it featuring a Z31 Nissan 300ZX. As was pointed out to us by reader Byron, rapper … Continue reading
Happy 117 Day from JNC
Today is January 17, so go out there and drive your Isuzu 117! What, don’t have one? Well, you can live vicariously by retracing this epic 10-day road trip across Japan in a 117 (links: Day 01, Day 02, Day 03, Day 04, Day 05, Day 06, Day … Continue reading
VIDEO: Watch James May put together a Honda Monkey
James May of former Top Gear and current Grand Tour fame is mostly known for doing loud things with powerful cars. However, Captain Slow, as he’s often called by his more basic colleagues, also has a well documented love for Honda motorcycles, tinkering, … Continue reading
TUNE UP: The Weeknd’s “Party Monster” Mazda RX-7
About a month ago, alternative R&B singer The Weeknd posted a photo of himself standing in the desert with an FC Mazda RX-7 in the background. Yesterday, that video, called “Party Monster,” dropped.
JNC PROJECT HAKO: Big in Australia
A little over a year ago, JNC‘s very own Kevin San was selected by Nulon, an Australian oil and lubricant company, to participate in a video series titled “Born This Way,” which follows hard core car enthusiasts and explores what makes them tick. … Continue reading
ART CORNER: San Mamiya’s “Bad Face” Mazda RX-3
Our friend and contributor San Mamiya has revealed his latest illustration, titled Bad Face. It depicts the angry visage of an S124 Mazda Savanna RX-3, headlights glaring, pulled up next to a Suzuki GT380 motorcycle.
Posted in Art Corner
Tagged be-1, figaro, GT380, mazda, Motorcycle, nissan, pao, rx-3, San Mamiya, suzuki
2 Comments
NEWS: This new Nissan concept has an easter egg from the Bluebird SSS
Yesterday at the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan unveiled a boldly styled concept sedan. The Vmotion 2.0’s styling is decidedly brand-spanking-new school, as it heralds the design language of all future Nissan sedans, but designers stuck one easter egg from the 910 Bluebird … Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged 910, bluebird, concept, Detroit Auto Show, maxima, nissan, Vmotion 2.0
4 Comments
NEWS: The last of the V8 Lexus sedans
That was unexpected. At the Detroit Auto Show today, Lexus unveiled its newest flagship sedan, the 2018 LS 500. However, general manager Jeff Bracken dropped a bombshell soon after — namely, that the tip-top-of-the-line Lexus would no longer have a V8 under the … Continue reading
PIXELATED: Tokyo Xtreme Racer is coming back
Video game publisher Genki recently tweeted an picture of a Nissan GT-R idling at a Tokyo expressway pull-off zone at night, ready for action. For JNCers of a certain age, then image should instantly evoke the thrill of Tokyo Xtreme … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized, Video Games
Tagged alto, gt-r, honda, nissan, r35, s660, shutoku battle, suzuki, Tokyo Xtreme Racer
18 Comments
VIDEO: The world’s first race cars to broadcast live from the cockpit were Toyota Celicas
Toyota Australia has just released an interview with Aussie racing great Peter Williamson. As you may recall, Williamson passed away in 2016, but his legacy as the world’s first in-car camera broadcaster lives on. The interview was conducted at the 2016 Toyota … Continue reading
VIDEO: Japan’s best drivers compete in Japan’s slowest car
The brilliant thing about Best Motoring is that one day you get an epic AE86 track battle, and the next day you get antics rivaling 2002-era Top Gear in silliness. Take this 1996 episode, for example. Daihatsu had just resurrected the Midget II … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged best motoring, daihatsu, Midget II, Motoharu Kurosawa, Tsukuba Circuit
7 Comments
VIDEO: The ultimate AE86 track battle
In 2005, to commemorate volume number 86, Hot Version invited Japan’s top AE86 to Tsukuba Circuit to lay down some lap times. This era was the peak of innovation for AE86 tuning with the TRD N2 Corolla Levin, driven by Keiichi Tsuchiya, as perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in Video
Tagged ae86, corolla, corolla levin, hachiroku, hot version, sprinter trueno, toyota, Tsukuba Circuit
5 Comments
QotW: What’s your JNC New Year resolution?
Shogatsu, or New Year, is the most important holiday of the Japanese calendar, as important as Christmas in the US. It’s a chance to get a fresh new start on life, which perhaps means finally getting around to that project. In which case, we … Continue reading
JNC THEATER: Watch a Nissan Cefiro drift its way through Protector 2
Despite its status as a formidable drift chassis in Japan, the A31 Nissan Cefiro looks to the rest of the world like an average late-80s sedan. That’s exactly what makes it the perfect stunt vehicle for Protector 2, the action-packed martial arts film … Continue reading
